UPS a big bunch of BS

I ordered 2 5/32 end mills from a local supplier a couple of days ago and UPS charged me $10.00 because it came to a residential address.

That’s a big bunch of bull crap. It doesn’t cost UPS a dime more to drop that small envelope at my front door than it would cost them to bring it in my front door and have me sign for it if I was in an industrial space.

That is exactly why I refuse to use UPS. I don’t mind paying a fair price, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna pay $10.00 for a less than 6 ounce package.

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

I don't work for ups and I generally have only bad things to say about them. But....
I don't think that's why they charge more for residential. It's because they don't charge you when they have to come back if you are not there and that's way more likely to happen with a residential address.
IE the average number of times they have to come by to have a successful delivery at a commercial address is likely lower than it is with a residential one since it's more likely somebody is manning it during operating hours. So that $10 delta is to offset the missed deliveries, on average. Just the opinion from an operations-minded person

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

I haven't seen an upcharge for a residential address in a LONG time. (And I ship with UPS from McMaster and others.)
That being said, if your vendor can use Priority Mail for lighter boxes, that's an excellent way to ship. The postage cost (including tracking, and box) is about $6 per package.

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

UPS drops off at my home shop many times a month, I have never been charged a fee for residential. UPS is definitely more expensive than USPS , especially if your order fits in a flat rate box. I do understand that many places won’t ship via USPS

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

90% of my packages that have been handled too rough or misplaced come through USPS. UPS is more expensive but seems to deliver on time (or early) and is a little more careful. Just my experience. Also I HATE working with the post office when I have problems. Nobody there cares about you at all.

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

There's not enough room on this forum for me to list all of the things I dislike about UPS.

Generally speaking, the larger a company becomes, the lower the service end of their company spirals down to. This includes the prices they charge for shipping. The irony here is that in most cases it was quality pricing and service that help these same companies to grow; and it's that same quality pricing and service that their marketing efforts claim when trying to gain more customers even though quality and pricing may have now become a fraction of what it once was.

I've found that many of the most popular online retailers may have attractive pricing but once they tack on the shipping cost that attractive pricing is the same or more than if I'd bought locally and just paid the sales tax. I have very little empathy or patience for companies that lure you in with low prices but then over-charge for the shipping while claiming they have some of the most competitive prices.

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

UPS made a conscious decision about 10 years ago to focus on large commercial customers, and screw us "little people". Big companies get very good pricing, but if we try to ship by UPS, the price can be 5X what they would pay. I quit using UPS for ANYTHING years ago. For anything that fits in a USPS Flat-Rate package, that is the cheapest way to go, packages will go cross-country for 2-3 days, and I've never once lost a package in the thousands I've shipped or received. For anything else, get a free FedEx account, and use FedEx Ground service. I can ship a 24"x24"x24" box weighing 50 pounds from the West Coast to the East Coast for $50, and it WILL get there in two business days every time. DO NOT use the FedEx stores! They are a different corporate entity from FedEx itself, and MUCH more expensive, and with many more restrictive rules. Get the free online account, create your own airbill, and just drop the package at any FedEx store or any authorized FedEx drop-off point (there are MANY in every city).

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

I'm not saying UPS is right to charge what they charge or not but the shipping company can and do charge what they want.

I was going to order a couple 40-112 1/4" Onsrud down cut bits and my supplier gave me a great price $7.65 / each list price of $12.75 ( after I placed the order I was told that price should have been a little higher but since i was quoted it they would honor the price) but Onsrud charges a $3.50 packing fee per order plus a flat $15 shipping so instead of paying $33.80 for 2 ($16.90 / each) I ordered 10 for $95 (9.50 / each)

I think $18.50 is a lot for shipping & handling but I'm not going to blame UPS for that.

Re: UPS a big bunch of BS

I think part of the residential vs business address charge is because typically businesses are located along major highways or in industrial parks more often than residential addresses. If they have to go out of their way they are going to charge for it.